Bright Moon
by grilledjellyfish
Summary: Sasuke never left, but even as an adult ninja, would he give up his revenge? Would he even go so far as to jeoperdize his friend's lives? And will Sakura and Naruto survive his plans? SakxNar, SakxSas, InoxCho, AsuxKure, TenxNej more to come
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: 

I had the idea for this some half a year ago. Albeit a bit different, so I re-wrote it... and then I didn't like some parts, so I re-re-wrote it again.  
I really hope it was the right decision! Write your opinion in form of reviews! THANKS in advance!

This story is kinda AU-ish. Lets just assume, that Orochimaru died by the hands of the Third during the battle Oto/Suna/Konoha. If you don't like him getting killed, just imagine, he survived the battle, rethought taking Sasuke's body and is now selling ice cream in a small village far far away.  
So Sasuke never left, Kabuto died suffocating on his own stupidity, Tsunade became Hokage, Kakashi's six-pack got even more bite-able, Naruto trained with Jiraiya, Sakura with Tsunade and Sasuke with Kakashi... and everything else that is of importance will be explained in the story itself!

Now have fun reading and don't forget to r&r!

-()-()-()- signals start/end of flashback

--------------------

Her eyes were still tightly closed, when Sakura fumbled blindly for the cushion that should have been under her cheek but wasn't anymore. Her fingers clumsily wandered across the smooth surface of her mattress, reaching the edge of the bed and clutching at thin air.

A displeased grunt escaped her throat when her hand came back empty. But the young woman was way to tired to even attempt getting up and finding the desired object. Instead she grasped the end of her blanket and pulled it further across her prone figure.

"Hey! Sakura!"

Frowning, the kunoichi buried her face in the sheets and covered her head completely under the soft material.  
She lay still for several seconds, sleep already claiming her again when something or better someone pulled away the blanket, ruffling her hair and exposing her bare arms to the slightly chilly air of her room.

A large firm hand closed gently around her shoulder, the warmth emitted by the palm caressing her cool skin pleasantly.  
"Sa-ku-ra." A voice reached her ears and the warm breath of its owner tickled the hair at the back of her neck. Somewhere deep in her mind, Sakura realized that the person had to be quite near her head, but the thought got pushed farther and farther away with every second of comfortable silence.

Suddenly, the fingers on her shoulder tightened their grip on her soft skin and the person at the other end of the arm started shaking the woman not so gently.

Sakura's eyes snapped open with a start, but the world around her was still bleary and her sleep-fogged brain needed some additional minutes to reboot.  
"Ino... ." She slurred, patting away clumsily the hand and rubbing the sleep out of her watery eyes. "Can't you read?  
I wanna sleep, dammit! Tsunade gave me another 48 hour shift and I really need some rest."

Propping her upper torso up on her elbows, Sakura glanced at the person kneeling beside the head of her bed.

Two things happened then.  
Sakura's vision cleared dramatically and the person laughed sheepishly in response to her statement.

"Narutoooo!" She yelled, grabbing the next best thing in reach and throwing it at the perplexed young man. The next best thing happened to be a medical textbook (1246 sides, hardcover) and the part of Naruto's body that Sakura had aimed at, was his face.

The blond hit the other side of the room with a sickening thud and a pained yelp.  
"Ouch! Dammit!" Naruto cursed, rubbing vigorously at his sore back and aching nose.

"I told ya to wait till tomorrow, dobe."

Frowning, the pink-haired woman turned her head slightly across her shoulder, just to find another young man standing casually in front of the closed door, shoulder barely touching the cupboard he was leaning against.

"Shut up, bastard!" Naruto shot back. Sakura watched him getting up from the floor and pinching the bridge of his nose, a pained grimace appearing on his face as he did so.  
"I'm hungry and can't wait another minute! I want ramen! ASAP!!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have spent all that money from your last mission in two hours, idiot." Sasuke replied calmly as he pushed away from the cupboard and headed to Sakura's bed.

"So what?! 's not like it's any of your probs, sob, so stop acti-" Naruto was cut short mid-curse by another (though smaller) book flying his way and he dodged the unusual missile successfully by diving for cover behind a desk to his right.

"Shut up! Both of you!" Sakura ordered, a slight hint of menace and anger vibrating at the edge of her voice.  
"So-sorry, Sakura... ." Naruto mumbled his apology hastily, grinning with false bravado as he crawled out from behind his hiding place.

Sasuke's only reply consisted of a grunted "Keh" and his hands vanishing deep inside his trouser pockets.

"You woke me, 'cause you have no money for food? Naruto, you're lucky I'm too tired to lift my arms, or you'd be in some serious shit right now!" The kunoichi growled. She sat up straight in her bed and stretched her arms high above her head, yawning widely. When she opened her eyes again, she found Naruto looking away, cheeks flushed and his teeth gnawing at his lower lip in embarrassment.

It was then that she noticed that the spaghetti top of her pyjamas had moved north and had caught underneath her breasts,  
exposing her smooth belly to the two men. Sweatdropping ('Men are such babies!'), she pulled the shirt back down and stood up.

"How'd you get in anyway? After you woke me last time, I sealed the window from the inside with some tags specifically blocking guys with your chakra signature." Sakura demanded to know, walking across the small space towards her wardrobe and pulling one door open. She grabbed automatically her favourite black leather dress and looked through her bras for something matching.

"Ino let us in." Came the simple reply from the raven-haired man standing some feet behind her.  
"That pig?!" Sakura asked incredulously, swivelling around, fist risen dramatically. Ino and Sakura had moved in together some half a year ago, their money just enough for the small apartment and food. They got along pretty well again, having both overcome their obsession with a certain black-haired teammate of Sakura.

They had decided to leave the past alone, but some of their rivalry seemed constantly to be present, manifesting itself in form of childish pranks and a diversity of nicknames every bystander soon lost track of.  
"Payback's a bitch, Ino... . I swear...!!"

"Sakura?" Looking up, she found one of her best friends looking down at the carpeted floor. Naruto's arms dangled limply by his sides and his gaze was casted downwards.

"I'm sorry I woke you. I didn't know, Tsunade, that old hag was being a monster again. You don't have to come along.  
I just thought it'd be nice to have ya around after we've been all gone for weeks... ."

Sakura sighed audibly, arms akimbo as she rolled her eyes at the devastated ninja.  
"I'm not 'that' tired. And anyway! You've obviously lost some weight and I'm responsible for your health."

Looking up, Naruto's face brightened instantly as it transformed into a bright toothy grin and Sasuke shook his head in suppressed amusement.  
"Ha, I lost weight and you gained some, Sakura!" He exclaimed (obviously) without thinking, grinning from ear to ear.  
Naruto was totally oblivious to the vain popping up on Sakura's forehead and utterly ignored the very unladylike swear words she muttered in a low dangerous voice.

"I really think you look great that way, Sakura." Naruto finally mumbled after a pause, the tips of his ears tainted in an embarrassed red. That gained a sigh from the young woman, her fury dissipating instantly at the sweet comment.

This time, he had been able to pull his head out of the sling, but he wouldn't always be that lucky... .  
Fortunately for the blond young man, Sakura had realized a long time ago, that he was not the womanizer he would have liked to be and that he didn't have the faintes idea what to say to a woman and what 'not'... . So, she decided to let the case rest and punish him next time twice as hard.

"So... ." Sakura began, gesturing with her chin subtly towards the door. Unfortunately, the two so-called 'men'  
were dense as wood and just stared back at her with a frown.

"Get your sorry asses outta here! I'm so not gonna change with you pervs staring at me!!"

Sasuke calmly walked to the door and opened it. He allowed a scrambling Naruto through first, grunting in disapproval as the other shinobi stepped on his friend's right foot. Before the door closed completely behind the two men, Sakura could have sworn she had seen Sasuke's eye twitch maniacally... .

----------

"Phew! That was good, Sakura!"

Nodding, the young woman lifted her chin, eyes roaming over the houses lining the street as she searched for a clock. She found one hanging at the side of an already closed shop.

Twelve past eight, it read and Sakura suppressed a yawn that threatened to escape her throat. It was summer and the sun had barely touched the edge of the Hokage monument, the color of its bright light slowly changing to orange and pink. Most shops had closed already, but there were still a lot of people buzzing through the lively streets,  
chatting and having fun.

Sakura's gaze followed a young couple as they made their way down the sidewalk to a door that lead to a large apartment building. They had a small child, not older than a year, with them. The infant was laughing happily when his father threw him up into the air, just to catch the boy again.

A small smile played at the edge of her lips, as Sakura watched the young family disappear inside the complex.

Soon the village would be silent again and night would claim its throne.  
And with another night, a fate would come along every ninja shared.

No matter where they were from. Konoha, Suna, Oto. Enemy and friend.

Loneliness.

Family ties were only hindrances, a liability only few ninjas were willing to take upon them. Sisters, brothers, parents, lovers, children. The only true weaknesses shinobis shared. Sooner or later, any ninja turned away from their family. Tried to break the ties connecting them emotionally or at least tried to hide the bond that was their greatest risk.

Sakura had seen people do it, had listened to friends crying after another fight with their mothers. She had even gone down the path herself and had experienced first hand what it felt like leaving behind something so precious, that she couldn't stand the thought watching the pain on their faces every time she would come home injured.

She couldn't stand the thought that some day her parents might get killed because 'she' was a kunoichi. War was like that. Especially those wars nobody could see. A battle between ninjas was one fought in darkness and shadows. And that was no good place to raise children or drink tea with parents.

Ninjas only had real families, when they had something they 'had' to pass down. Special jutsus, a powerful blood limit.  
The only reasons why such families existed. Either every member of a clan was a shinobi, or no-one.

And so they walked alone and shared their burden called loneliness with people who knew the feeling.  
Some of them even more than others... .

It was then that she realized that she had followed Naruto's monologue only halfheartedly and that silence had descended upon the three friends.

When she turned her attention back towards the two men walking to either side of her, she found their eyes glued to her with a more (Naruto) or less (Sasuke) confused expression on their faces.  
"What?" She asked a bit perplexed, frowning, when Sasuke made a strange noise.

"Sakura! You haven't listened at all!!" Naruto exclaimed, an accusing finger pointing at her.  
She just smiled sheepishly back at him and scratched the back of her head.

"How 'bout we have some drinks, guys, huh?" She suddenly asked, giving the two men questioning stares.  
Sasuke merely shrugged with his hands still buried deep in his trouser pockets, while Naruto punched the air above his head with one fist in ovbious excitement.

They made their way to the small bar in silence, just enjoying each other's company. It was a rare event lately,  
that all three of them went to their favourite bar together. In the last half a year, Sasuke constantly found new reasons to excuse himself from spending time with his other friends. Mission briefings, stuff at home to take care of or just a 'no time'. Naruto and Sakura had given up trying to coax him into coming nevertheless. Sasuke had always been... not so comfortable with crouded places and prefered the solitude of his apartment to a bar full of strangers.

When the door of the pub came into sight, they slowed down, eyes roaming over the walls as they searched for figures they might know.

When they didn't find anyone outside (was probably too early for drunken shinobis to get rid of their last meal,  
the three friends entered silently. They headed purposefully to a table in the far right corner and sat down on the benh, leaving the chairs unoccupied for possible fellows.

A young waiter rushed towards them, staring expectantly down at them. Without missing a beat, Naruto ordered for them all,  
watching as the other man scribbled down hastily on his pad. Soon he was gone again, leaving behind the members of former team seven.

As Sakura's gaze wandered over the few occupants of the pub, her eyes finally settled on a boy sitting at the bar. He wasn't much older than fourteen, Sakura guessed, but his hands were closed around a half empty glass of booze. His eyes were glassy, whether from the alcohol or from crying silently into the drink, she couldn't tell.

Drinking wasn't legal at that age.  
She herself had just reached the magical number of 20, that marked her as an adult in this country some weeks ago and was now legally allowed to drink the hard stuff.

But she was a ninja.

Children in this world lost their childhood when they entered ninja academy. They lost their innocence when they learned how to use a shuriken to kill and they lost their life when they took on their first mission.

Kids at the age of six were considered adults, because how else could one explain why they knew how to kill, had perfect control over their body and thought like an assassin and not like a child walking by the side of its mother. They played ANBU with fellow students and trained jutsus until their hands bled and their bodies collapsed.

They were supposed to kill, protect the village and they did it without a second thought. Drinking was just another something they could do, because they were 'adults.  
And sometimes, drinking was the only way for shinobis to drown their sorrows. Forget about a mission gone wrong and escape a reality where childish dreams had no place and no right to exist. Escape the prospect of another failure tainting their crimson record.

Shinobis usually had their first experience with alcohol at the age of thirteen.  
Usually, the time when their lives ended.

"Here ya go." The voice of the bartender cut through Sakura's thoughts abruptly and she watched mildly startled as Naruto downed the first glass of apple juice in one swig. He made a strange noise and burped in content.

"Man, I really needed that!" He announced, grinning like an idiot.

Sakura gave him a weird look and sipped absently at her own slightly alcoholic drink. She wasn't intending to get drunk today. Nothing had occured that could have made her wish to escape and she wanted to be aware of her surroundings.  
Naruto and Sasuke had been gone for almost six weeks and she wasn't about to miss any second of their newest reunion.

"So, Sakura," Naruto began, gaining his friend's attention at once, "what are the newest news in the grande grapevine?!"

The medic nin suppressed a sigh and rolled her eyes inwardly at the eager man. Setting down the glass with a 'clonk,  
she edged closer on the bench and waited for her companions to do the same. Heads stuck together conspiratorially,  
she pressed a finger to her lips.

"This still isn't confirmed and a, you may call it, wild guess on my side, but... ." Looking back at the door, Sakura made sure that nobody 'special' had entered. "But I am almost 100 percent sure that Chouji and Ino are dating."

"Wh-what?!" Naruto asked incredulously, eyes wide as he stared at Sakura in disbelief.  
"Yes, you heard right. Of course, when I asked, she'd tell me that she was seeing a Sasuke-look-alike and would disappear with a beet red face, but I so looked right through that unconvincing facade!"

Mouth agape, Naruto waited for his friend to continue with the rumors.  
"Tenten and Neji are gonna make their engagement official next saturday and if Ino is correct, the wedding is already in one month. So you better keep your asses out of missions and stuff!"

With a happy smile, Sakura settled back in her seat and waited for the two man to digest the news.  
The concept of Ino and Chouji dating wasn't easy for most bystanders, but Sakura had to admit, that she loved the thought of them getting together. In her opinion, the two friends were made for each other.

"What about the rumor of you having applied for ANBU?"

Frowning, the kunoichi stared at Sasuke, surprised that he had finally decided to say something. It had been quite unnerving to watch his mute being for the last one and a half hours, but the statement startled her nonetheless.

"Gosh, I totally forgot about that!" She exclaimed, cheeks colored in a light blush.  
"I asked to be allowed to take the exam nine days ago."

A long silence followed her words as Sakura's two male companions stared at her in something Sakura could only describe as shock and surprise.  
"A-ANBU?" Naruto stuttered, a strange, maybe concerned, look flickering across his features.

"Uhm, yeah. Tsunade declared me head medic of all S- and A-rank missions two weeks ago. Shizune took over my post as teacher at the medic school. Now I wanna make chief medical ninja for all ANBU related missions as well, but I'll have to become one for all the classified stuff."

"B-but, Sakura!" The blond suddenly exclaimed. "I'm really not comfortable with that! I mean, look at you"  
He so didn't notice the dark aura surrounding Sakura's being, intensifying with every word he stuttered.  
"You're not made for ANBU! You could get hurt!! What do you think happened to us last time, huh?!"

Sakura's hand clenched slowly into a tight fist.  
"I've already been impaled, sliced, burned, genjutsu-ed into oblivion and Neji gentle-fisted me 'twice' for some stupid nothings!"

"That had been your fault, Naruto." Sasuke interjected, mildly interested in the complaints of his friends. He already knew what was about to happen and he wisely decided (he 'was' after all a freakin' genius!), that he so wouldn't endanger his precious life!

"Yeah, whatever! What I wanna say is, that you, as a woman, shouldn't go on such dangerous missions. Period!! No arguing on that one!"

Naruto couldn't have escaped Sakura's wrath even if he had seen the fist coming in the first place.  
Her knuckles made painful contact with his cheek, leaving behind red imprints and a probably aching headache.

"Aha... and what do 'you' think was 'my' motivation to become ANBU? Surely not the poor payment or the long missions!  
Or maybe the fact that 74 percent of all ANBU members die before their 35th birthday?" Sakura retorted back, voice louder than she had intended.

"I asked for that position because I'm at least as concerned as you are, Naruto! You think I'm sleeping well, knowing you, Sasuke, Kakashi or anybody else of my friends are out there, maybe fighting for your life and that of others? Bleeding, in pain and probably on the verge of death? Yes, you come back in one piece most of the time, but I can remember quite clearly days when I got called back to hosptal in the middle of the night because a squad had returned with fatally injured!" Sakura paused, drawing in a calming breath. She had to look away when she felt the damn emotions gaining the upper hand.

Naruto averted his gaze as well and stared instead at his calloused hands, recalling a mission where he had dragged back Sasuke and Shino. He had been injured pretty badly himself, but the kyuubi had done some much needed damage control, having made it just possible for the blond to carry the two unconscious men. Sasuke and Shino hadn't had that much luck. By the time Naruto had arrived at the hospital, the two friends had barely been breathing.

He could still see their bodies glowing eerily as Sakura and Tsunade worked on saving their lives. Hours later, the pink-haired medic had collapsed from the strain. Naruto remembered how Sakura's eyes had been glassy, but she had been even too tired to cry back then.

"Sorry." He mumbled, not looking up.  
A hand appeared on top of his own, fingers closing softly around his digits. His lips were pressed together in a thin line as he waited for Sakura to continue.

Finally her soft voice broke the silence. "You can't talk me out of this, Naruto. Tsunade tried and failed miserably.  
I'll come along and be there when you need me. Because that's the reason why I've striven to become a medic.  
To save those close to me."

Naruto sighed exaggeratedly as he lifted his chin. His blue eyes found Sakura's and he watched her closely for a very long moment. He then looked past her face and made eye contact with Sasuke. The raven-haired man was sitting lazily in his seat, smirking confidently.

"There won't be anything to heal for ya, Sakura." Naruto said with a lopsided grin. "That'd be better for you! Gonna kick your asses for every scratch I have to take care of!"

Grinning wildly, Sakura lifted her hand from where it had been lying on Naruto's and took her glass again. She downed the content in one swig and watched as Naruto and Sasuke did the same.

----------

She couldn't exactly recall what had happened to her, but she decided that it must have been a log... or Tsunade's fist, because she couldn't remember having ever felt so groggy in her entire life. Her head hurt, her shoulders and arms were aching like she had been holding way too heavy weights way too long and her stomach was revolting even at the prospect of her moving any time soon.

Not that she actually wanted to move, mind you! She just had the feeling, that she 'had' to.

When she finally opened her eyes, Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin.  
With a not so ladylike yelp, she scrambled out of her bed sheets, got tangled up in them even more in the process and stumbled head first out of her bed. She landed in a heap on the floor ungracefully, her butt sticking up into the air as she seemed to kiss the dusty ground.

"You finished with your beauty sleep or do you need another hour, Sakura!?"

Wincing slightly, Sakura got up from where she had been lying, her dignity having vanished in a cloud of embarrassment.  
"Sorry, Tsunade-sensei." She mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. "I- I... ."

"Got drunk last night, did some fine flirting with some of the boys and ended up beating the crap out of both Naruto 'and' Kiba! And here I was, thinking I gave you enough work to make you go to bed early!" Tsunade stated, brows risen high and arms crossed in front of her enormous chest.

"Or is anything of what I've said wrong"  
Sakura had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from covering her hypersensitive ears to protect them from the loud, harsh tone of voice.  
"No, the information was right. May I ask, who- ."

She was cut short by her teacher. The Fifth grabbed Sakura underneath her left arm and helped her up into a standing position. The older woman waited patiently until her student had untangled herself from the bed sheets and finally sighed.

"Kakashi." Tsunade answered Sakura's unspoken question and rolled her eyes. "I want you in my office in 30 minutes! With or without clothes, I don't care!" She barked out, turning on her heels and stormed out of Sakura's messy room. The young kunoichi stayed like this for another few seconds, until her ears picked up the noise of the front door closing behind the Fifth Hokage not so softly.

"Not getting drunk, my ass... ." Sakura muttered under her breath, massaging her pounding temple soothingly. She still had some grey areas about last night. Maybe if she laid down another few secs... Sakura grabbed one of her boots, she had carelessly thrown away some hours ago and stared at it for the longest moment.  
'So, Kakashi has brought me back, huh?', she thought, brows creased. 'Gotta thank him later... .'

Suddenly, the fog inside Sakura's mind cleared dramatically and her memories of last night became crystal clear...

-()-()-()-

Soon after their talk, Sasuke left her and Naruto alone. He said something about checking out some information before the meeting tomorrow, laid down some bills and waved bye when he disappeared wordlessly outside. The two remaining friends watched him leave with a frown but shrugged it off as typical Sasuke-behaviour.

"What a spoilsport." Naruto mumbled, taking Sasuke's half empty drink and downed it in one swig. He swept his mouth clean with the back of his hand and lifted it then high above his head. A nearby waitress nodded in return and made her way across the room towards them.

A fiasco, Sakura would hate herself for later, started then.

Sakura and Naruto both started ordering some of the harder stuff and just enjoyed each others company. As always, the alcohol loosened his tongue and soon the blond dove into a lively description of one of his not so secret missions. He told Sakura how he had defeated a bulky "three meter" grass ninja with a move Kakashi had shown him "maaaaaany years ago!".

Smirking and sipping happily on her drink, Sakura listened as he rambled on and on about jutsus and anything else that happened to enter his fuzzy brain. She had soon learned after their first shared encounter with booze, that one had to be careful what to believe of Naruto's stories. He loved to mix the actual truth with some heroic pictures his mind decided to make up.

It was then, that Sakura noticed a group of men entering the bar, their eyes roaming over the few occupants. They were obviously searching for familiar faces and Sakura decided to help them out. Lifting her arm above her head, she waved enthusiastically into their direction, smiling when she found their eyes locked to their table.

The party of six man strolled casually towards them. They sat down, a collective 'Hi' rolling through the group as they waited for somebody to come and take their order.

Sakura smiled at the man sitting where Sasuke had been some time ago, her cheeks slightly flushed from the influence of her drinks. She wasn't one to get drunk easily. Tsunade had made sure of that with some fine parties and her medical knowledge did the rest (if she wanted to she could get the alcohol faster out of her system than Naruto could eat a bowl of ramen).

Kakashi smiled back, one visible eye crinkled up and his mask moved slightly where his lips formed a grin.  
"How'd the mission go, Kakashi?" She drawled in a light tone of voice. Her hand lifted the glass filled with green liquid and spun it until a small eddy appeared in the drink.

He sighed, looked across the table to where Asuma and Genma were sitting and mentioning with his chin subtly towards them. Sakura frowned and followed his gaze, but only found a sly smirk on the men's faces. Her head whipped back around just to find Kakashi holding an empty glass in front of her features.

The silver-haired shinobi had downed its content in the second Sakura had needed to turn her head.  
Again he had been able to conceal his face from her. In return she glared unbashfully up at him, rolling her eyes when he said something about "brain reaction of a slug".

"Mission was fine." He finally replied, frowning when Genma ordered another round for the group on his treat. "You know me, Sakura. I'm too scared of you and the Fifth to even think about getting a splinter."

Sakura giggled, her ears picking up the heated conversation between Naruto and Kiba. They were apparently fighting over whose newest jutsu was cooler, but she only halfheartedly paid attention to their rambling.  
What caught her eyes, was Genma's not so subtle gaze that appeared to be glued to her cleavage.

It wasn't a secret that the senbon-chewing jounin was interested in anything that resembled somewhat a woman. But Shizune had told her some weeks ago that he seemed to have gotten obsessed with the idea of getting into the pants of a certain somebody, with pink hair and a right hook that smashed boulders the size of houses.

To his dismay and everybody's delight, Sakura was obviously so not interested!  
She liked to play with the poor man and just when he thought he had finally reached his goal, she would drop him like a hot potato. But he didn't give up easily on his prey and just dove deeper and deeper into a sea were Sakura had the power. And she couldn't deny that she was getting a lot of fun out of teasing the poor love-sick puppy.

She wasn't a child anymore and there were few who knew that better than Kakashi.  
He watched her sideways as she smiled seductively back at the man sitting across from her, ignoring the two chuckling shinobis beside Genma. Asuma and Ibiki both had noticed the hot gaze their friend had given Sakura and were waiting for another scene of a drama were Genma would not so voluntarily play the main role.

Her hand left the glass and pulled a strand of pink hair back behind her ear. It then slowly, very, very casually (NOT)  
wandered down the side of her face and neck, finding its way to the top of her leather dress. She absently caressed the skin where her cleavage started and she could almost see Genma's eyes bulging out of their sockets as saliva dripped down his chin.

Kakashi nudged Sakura subtly in the side and waited patiently until she averted her eyes from her 'victim' and watched her former teacher through alcohol leaden lits.  
"Don'tcha think he deserves a break, huh?" He asked, not really hoping for an answer. Instead she rolled her eyes at him and Kakashi wasn't surprised when the pink-haired kunoichi suddenly decided to rest her head softly on his shoulder.

'Yes, they aren't small helpless children anymore', Kakashi thought as he shook his head with a sigh.  
They were part of a sick play, where innocence was just a way of gaining the upper hand. Where acting was the only way to survive.

Life hardly ever rewarded shinobis with even a compliment, let alone the feeling of having won something apart from another second of being allowed to breathe and fight.

He could remember a night many many years ago.  
Kakashi had been standing in front of the leader of his squad, staring up at the blond young man with eyes that contained the anguish of a soul that had lost its light.

"Captain." He had mumbled, his legs wobbly and his hand unable to clutch any longer onto the dripping kunai. "I have won."

The man standing in front of the six year old kid, had slowly gotten down on his knees and had taken the crimson weapon out of Kakashi's grasp. His eyes had flickered to the two corpses in the far right corner of the room, before they had settled back on the boy, who would soon be one of his first students.

"No, kakashi. 'We' have lost"  
The silver-haired boy hadn't understood then.

He may have won a battle that night, but the war had been lost. The war for his very own humanity.

Sakura's head suddenly weighted heavily on his skin. He felt his guts churn and an uneasy feeling spread out through his system. Something seemed off, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it right then... .

He rather felt than heard Sakura sigh beside him, her temple still pressed against his body. Pink hair fell across his upper arm and he noticed that her eyes had closed for the longest second.  
"You're probably right, 'sensei'." She whispered with a smile and lifted her head again from where it had been resting way too comfortably. She felt his palm softly touching her lower back and she knew without asking, that the simple gesture wasn't supposed to be anything sexual. It felt more like he wanted to make sure she was still there. A silent support... but for whom? And why?

She turned her head slightly towards him, a deep frown appearing on her flushed features.  
A question shone in her glassy green orbs, but she herself wasn't sure what it was that she wanted to know from her silent companion.

Her train of thoughts suddenly got interrupted by Naruto crashing not so gently into her side and she was smashed into Kakashi's chest, cursing and pushing the blond back.  
The discussion between him and Kiba had turned physical and both heated men rose at the same time, Naruto bringing his boot down on the bench.

"You and me! Outside! NOW!!" Naruto barked, jumping across the table and storming to the open door. Kiba was hot on his heels, all the time grunting incoherently and glaring daggers at his friend's back.

Inside the bar, everyone had gone silent, conversations having ceased and and drinking having stopped momentarily.

Sakura, too, had forgotten totally about Kakashi and was practically fuming. Getting up, she walked to the door. To the outer eye she looked maybe a bit angry at the most, but Kakashi could almost see the stem coming out of her ears.

With a sigh, he got up and buried his hands deep inside his trouser pockets, fishing for some crumpled bills. He let the money fall carelessly on the table and took after his former students, closely followed by the rest of his companions.

When he finally came to a halt right outside the door, he shook his head at the sight that presented itself to him.

Sakura had jumped right into the fight and had forced the two opponents apart. Naruto's head was already spotting a nice red bump and Kiba was holding his side were Sakura had obviously landed a hit.

Kakashi shook his head and slowly headed towards his combating friends, preparing himself for the second when he would force them apart as soon as an opening presented itself to his waiting form... .

-  
----------

Making a face, Sakura glared at her feet.

Her head didn't hurt that much anymore. Though she refused to do something against the headache with some medical jutsu (normally a wonderful trick when it came to hangovers and other problems after having consumed too much alcohol). She had made a fool out of herself and somehow thought that enduring the headache, or better suffering, was a good way to make up for having transformed into a total moron last night.

She had gone to Tsunade's office right after having finished in the bathroom that morning (Oh, and how she would probably never forget the embarrassment from having been scolded by Tsunade... the sole woman on this planet who was drunk at least four times a week!), just to find it empty. Shizune had walked by and had mercifully told Sakura that the Hokage had been called to an urgent meeting with some daimyou's.

And so she had ended up in the hospital, taking care of some papers and looking after two critical patients.

"Ma'am?" A deep voice asked tentatively into the silence and interrupted Sakura's self-loathing with a start.  
Looking up, she found one of Tsunade's errand boys (though they'd actually come to that job unintentionally) standing in the doorway. He was holding a folded sheet of white paper.

"Yes?" She asked, scribbling her signature down on the medical chart she had been holding for the better part of the last ten minutes.  
Instead of answering verbally, the chuunin handed her the letter, nodded curtly but friendly and turned back around, disappearing in the corridor of the hospital.

Unfolding the sheet, Sakura's shoulders sacked down tiredly.  
'Mission briefing 1630 in my office. Come late and I'll make you wish you had died of alcohol poisoning!', the paper read.

Unseen to her, four eagles and five chuunin were sent with similar orders to nine jounin, delivering Tsunade's orders within ten minutes everywhere in the village.

--------------------

FINIS?!?

Oh, in this story I decided to make 20 the age pals in Konoha get officially and legally adult. So they can drive cars, smoke, drink and have sex (though they did only one of the mentioned things).

If you think this story has potential or if you strongly recommend to burn it, write me some reviews! I need them almost as much as oxygen!!

I already have the next chapter(s) in my mind and can only tell you, that there will be fun, hard feelings, betrayal, love and a tragic death.  
If I'll ever write that down, lies in your hands though!

Ja ne, see ya and bis bald!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: 

Waaaaah!! Sorry for the long wait! Had to learn for my intermediate exams and passed my last one yesterday (YAY FOR ME!!). I'm a semi-biologist now.  
why can't I hear anybody applauding??

Well, whatever! Here's the second part of this story and I hope you like it all! Enjoy and don't forget to r&r!!

--------------------

When Lee rounded the corner in the sixth storey of the Hokage tower, he was surprised to find the waiting area aka simple corridor outside the Fifth's office crowded.

His big brows furrowed into a frown as he walked slowly past four men with ANBU masks, nodding friendly into their direction but gaining no answer from them. Not that he had hoped for one in the first place. Every ninja knew that the hunter nins were supposed to be anything but talkative. They had to keep silent, because silence was their greatest weapon.

He somehow thought that was one of the reasons why he never asked for a position as ANBU.

As he neared the door to Tsunade's office, he found his two favourite kunoichis standing slightly off. Sakura had her hands clamped across her mouth and Tenten sat in front of her on the floor with her back against the wall. They were both grinning widely at each other and Lee had the impression, Sakura had a hard time swallowing an un-ninja-ish squeal.

"Tenten! Sakura!" He said, as always, way too enthusiastically. The gloominess surrounding them didn't lighten at all, but he had given it his best try.

Smiling pleasantly up at him, Tenten slowly got up from the ground and dusted her backside off. She found one of the ANBU, wearing an eagle mask, staring subtly her way. She winked mischievously and smirked when the man turned his attention back to the still closed door.

"What are you doing here?" Lee asked, watching two figures appearing at the end of the corridor and walking casually towards them. Even a blind would have recognized them and the frown on Lee's face deepened when they finally reached the assembled ninjas.

"Yo, pals!" Kiba greeted them all, one hand lifted 'Hi'. His canine friend merely turned his head in everyone's direction, obviously acknowledging their presence. With a huffing noise he sat down on his hind legs, his ears turning now and then into different directions as his massive head rested comfortably against Kiba's side.

Sakura looked up briefly, watching the young man standing in the middle of the corridor, patting the head of his comrade. Her eyes settled on a bluish hue around his left eye and winced mentally when she remembered just how exactly he had gotten that bruise...

"Well, Lee,", Tenten began, folding her arms in front of her chest, "lets call it female intuition, but I think, everybody here got a similar message from Lady Hokage." She concluded.

Sakura heard a grumbled "Duh" from one of the men standing around her and she was pretty sure that it had come from the one wearing the porcelain fox mask. He had been shuffling impatiently from one foot to the other for the last ten minutes and the pink-haired woman had been sure he'd rip off his mask and cause a ruckus soon...

"I wonder how long we'll have to wait." Sakura said to no-one in particular. "Seems like she's in a briefing right now, but I..."

The medic got cut short mid-sentence when the door opened and light from the office flooded the dim corridor. In the doorway, a woman was standing, holding a clipboard in her tight grasp as she smiled back at the group.  
"You may come in now." Shizune declared and stepped back as Kiba and Akamaru walked in, closely followed by the women and the other assembled men.

At entering, Sakura's eyes immediately fell on Tsunade. She was sitting, elbows on her desk and hands folded right in front of her nose, impatiently in her leather chair. She watched the shinobis flocking into her office with eagle-eyes.  
Behind her on one of the window sills sat Hatake Kakashi. He had one leg lying comfortably on the other thigh and his one visible eye followed their every move.

What seemed off was the fact, that his trademark, a volume of the Icha Icha series, was nowhere to be seen. Normally he would be flipping through the worn pages, looking like he didn't care about the world while deep in some filthy fantasy of his...

"I've ordered you here today to inform you of your new mission." Tsunade suddenly began, her temper having obviously gotten the better of her. She hadn't even waited for Shizune to close the door, Sakura observed, her brows rising higher in bewilderment. Something was definitely happening here.

"But before we get started," she said, getting up. She walked around the massive wooden desk and sat back down at the edge on one side, "get rid of those masks. Ya won't need 'em for this one."

A silent nod from the four men wearing ANBU gear and the shuffling began. Within seconds, Sakura could finally see the faces of the shinobis and smiled cheekily when she saw the next thing coming.

"Was about time, old hag!" Naruto's voice errupted from his throat even before he had completely taken off the mask that had covered his features. "I really needed some fresh air with Kiba and Akamaru standing right here." He pointed disparagingly at the two friends beside him, receiving a death glare from the Inuzuka and a low growl from the dog.

Not bothering with sticking for once to the protocol, Naruto glowered back. That nobody was taking him seriously right now might have come from all the years were he had practiced the art of making himself ridiculous in every given situation, but maybe, Sakura mused silently, the fact that he had a split lip and a bump made him seem even more stupid today. And again a flash of memory made her wish not for the first time today, that she had just stayed in bed yesterday.

Rolling her eyes, Tenten watched the other three men standing impassively at the back of the room. Sasuke, Neji and Shino merely watched, not even mildly interested in anything their companion was rambling.

"Shut up already, Naruto!" Tsunade barked, unfolding her arms and planting her palms firmly on the surface of the desk.  
"Or I'll make ya scrub toilets until the end of days, you twerp!"

"Shouldn't we just start with the briefing already?" A man with a cigarette dangling from one corner of his mouth said with an irritated frown, walking up to where Kakashi was still sitting. Asuma had been leaning against the bookshelves ever since the other ninjas had entered, silently smoking one of his beloved addictions.

"We have a situation." Tsunade said without further ado, making eye contact with every ninja in the office.  
"I was informed that in the west of Fire Country, a rough group of approximately fifteen nuke-nins are making trouble. They have already killed five Konoha shinobis and six locals. There's a list of other criminal acts they have committed and possible names in the mission scroll you'll get at the end of this briefing."

"I don't need any rampaging wannabe ninjas and you'll be going to wipe some asses, is that clear?" She got a few nods and a saluting Lee in return.  
"We suppose that you'll be confronted with at least six S-class criminals, which is also the reason, why this mission won't start straight away, but in seven days from now. I want you all ready till then and pack for a four weeks field trip. No cozy accommodations, so get comfortable with the idea of forest floor."

Tsunade heard the blond snorting soundly, his arms crossed defiantly in front of his chest.  
"So? 's not like you ever pay for the inns anyway."

Inhaling through clenched teeth, the only female sannin tried to calm her temper, remembering the reason why she hadn't pounded him into the ground, yet... .  
"The ten of you will make up the team. Kakashi will take over the role as team leader."

She nodded briefly towards Kakashi without actually looking at him.

The silver-haired man got up from where he had been sitting and walked to the middle of the room, where he watched the ninjas gathered before him with a droopy eye. His gaze finally settled on Sakura and she had to fight the blush that was creeping up her neck at seeing his subtle, knowing smile appearing on his lips underneath the black mask.

"Well, well." He said with false cheerfulness, burying his gloved hands in his trouser pockets. "Seems like we'll be stuck together for some weeks. As Hokage the Fifth has already told you, there are a bunch of missing nins roaming the border and we are supposed to clean up the mess. They don't seem to be our ordinary evil nuke-nins." He continued in a solemn tone of voice, his one visible eye looking seriously at his collegues. "Judging by the way they're handling things up till now, they know a great deal about our tactical behaviour, stationed ninjas and their surroundings, such as some of our secret hideouts and meeting points."

Kakashi didn't have to say more. The implication of what that could have meant weighted heavily on everybody's minds.  
There was a possibly mole in their rows.

"We'll be having another mission briefing in four days, so don't be late."

The jounin ignored the rolling eyes of Sakura, the huffing noise of Naruto and the silent eyes of Sasuke easily.He had been forced to endure their unfaithfulness in his punctuality for many long years now and some day he would make their eyes boggle... .

"Sakura will be medical advisor. Anything related to wounds, lice or any other flatulences will be brought to her. She'll be 2IC for this mission and yes, Naruto, she's ranked above you in this one."

Tsunade watched as the face of the tomboy transformed from a frown into a huff and at last into a annoyed glare. She was well aware of his demands for finally being allowed to lead a major mission, but she just couldn't see him giving reasonable orders and taking care of the needs of a team packed with geniuses. Naruto may have the fighting spirit of a bunch of tigers and the potential to win the fight over the crown of 'best ninja ever', but he so hadn't learned yet the trick to be a reliable team leader of an essential mission... . She hoped he'd take the hint with Sakura and watch her more closely.

And not only because he still loved and adored her like a madman... .

"Are there any questions left that could cause unimaginable nightmares?" Tsunade asked with a frown, not really expecting an answer of any kind from the assembled ninjas. "Well, then, you are dismissed. For now."

Lee saluted like a good lil soldier and turned to the door, Shizune was just in the process of opening. The Fifth watched as the faces of four man vanished behind the sterile white porcelain of their ANBU masks. With a 'poof', they disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.

As her gaze wandered back to the door, she found Tenten and Lee already rounding the corner, closely followed by Kiba and his partner. Sakura had remained standing in the middle of the office, nobody having objected at her staying back and Tsunade was glad she had an apprentice with a sixth sense for such things, because the older woman was pretty sure, the young medic was just waiting for the right moment when they were left in privacy.

"Sakura."

The person in question stared squarely into the hazelbrown eyes of her master. Her arms were hanging limply at either side of her body, but she was anything but relaxed at that moment.  
"Yes, sensei?"

"There are some things you'll have to take care of before the mission starts in seven days." The blond woman began,  
walking back around her desk to sit down in the comfortable leather chair. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small scroll with a golden rope wrapped around it.

"I'll tell Naruto separately, 'cause I didn't want any suspicion raised by making you both hang back." At that, Sakura's brows furrowed into a bewildered and concerned frown. Even a blind man could have seen the question shining in her eyes as she regarded Tsunade with alert emerald orbs.

"We suppose you'll come across a man listed in the top ten of Konoha's bingo book." Tsunade handed Sakura the scroll and inhaled deeply. "It is very likely that you'll bump into members of the Akatsuki, especially Uchiha Itachi and at least his fish partner."

Sakura's face was impassive, but Kakashi, having known her far longer than anybody else in the room, could see right through the facade. The inner turmoil was weighting heavily on the kunoichi's mind and he could follow her train of thoughts easily.

"Some members of the council of elders think it's a bad idea to send Naruto 'and' Sasuke, but to be frank, there aren't that many shinobis in this village capable of dealing with members of this organization. There isn't a 100 possibility of you meeting up with any of them, but I have to make sure anyway. The signs are there and we can't hope to evade this precarious situation for much longer and I'll be damned if they initiate the meet 'n' greet!"

By now Tsunade had gotten up from her seat again and was standing beside one of the large open windows. She had her arms akimbo and had that resolute look on her features that made most people gulp down the last bit of doubt.

"I want you to be ready for a siuation we all hope nobody of you will have to deal with. That's why I've given you this scroll." She gestured to Sakura's hands. "Inside you'll find a description of a way to seal the sharingan."

Eyes wide, the pink haired kunoichi stared at the small, inconspicuous scroll lying in her tight grasp.  
"A way to seal... ." She was cut short by Kakashi. The tall jounin decided to interfere right then and strolled up to where his former student was standing.

His lips curved into a small smile as he found the young woman watching the scroll ominously as if she expected a little monster to jump out of it any second.  
"It's a big responsibility, but I'm sure you can handle what's inside. I always thought you were rather well acquainted with your chakra and this jutsu needs a great deal of control."

Sakura looked up with wide eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips at the praise. She wiped it off though. The situation was way too grave to feel proud like she was the stupidly grinning furling from her genin years again.

"Apart from that there's something else I want you to do, Sakura." Tsunade's voice interrupted the kunoichi's inner rambling abruptly and her eyes snapped back to the Fifth where she was leaning casually against the frame of the window behind her.

"I want you to teach the rest of your team some minor basic medical jutsus. This mission won't be a stroll in the park and I can't imagine how you'll be able to take care of every small scratch the guys get on the run." She said, rolling her eyes when she remembered a time when she had to heal a bleeding nose and cuts of one of her former teammates (she won't mention any names, but he was tall, had white hair and could summon toads) had obtained on missions.

"They're smart ninjas. There shouldn't be too much of a prob with teaching them how to close lacerations and such stuff"  
Tsunade found a look of absolute doubt on Sakura's face and winced inwardly when she remembered just who exactly she had put on the team. "And well... I'm sure you'll come up with a solution for minor problems that could occur.. ." The blond trailed off when she heard her student snort not so indistinctly.

"If you don't have any questions you are free to leave, Sakura." Tsunade announced as she turned her attention to the two men standing around her.

"If you don't mind, I actually have something I wanted to ask." Sakura said with a hint of uneasiness wavering at the edge of her voice. The Fifth looked up a bit baffled, having not really expected anything from the young woman. Tsunade nodded curtly towards Sakura and waited.

"You mentioned earlier, that you would tell Naruto separately... what about Sasuke? Shouldn't he know of the possibilty of meeting up with his brother"  
The uneasiness grew and Sakura's guts tightened when she found Kakashi and Tsunade sharing a worried glance.

"Sakura..." Kakashi began, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "Have you noticed anything off 'bout Sasuke lately?"

Frowning, the pink-haired kunoichi waited for him to clarify the meaning of what he had just said. When he didn't, Sakura looked away, trying to recall anything in his behaviour that had made her feel uncomfortable or had raised any suspicions.

"Sasuke acting strange? Not more than usual... ." Sakura trailed off, unsure how to proceed. True, Sasuke had excused himself more often in the last few months, had gone home earlier than usual or hadn't appeared to their get-togethers after long missions. But in Sakura's opinion, the black-haired young man had always been somewhat 'antisocial' and neither her nor Naruto had been able to coax him out more often than necessary in his opinion.

"Sakura, what I'm gonna tell you now is absolutely confidential and nothing has been confirmed, yet." Tsunade said in a low voice, closing her eyes momentarily before focusing solely on her young student. "We think, Sasuke is preparing himself to finally move."

'Move?', Sakura thought perplexed, cocking her head slightly to one side.

"His revenge has always been a prior, even if not public, motive. He may not have mentioned anything in the last few years, but we fear that he thinks about executing some plan of his to kill his brother."

"Have you anything to prove your assumptions?" Sakura demanded to know, anger at hearing such grave accusations slowly building in her guts. She wasn't prepared what came next, though.

"Yes." Was all Kakashi said and to Sakura he sounded like a man who had just admitted a great defeat.

Unsure what to say to that, Sakura merely nodded her chin slowly back at the three ninjas she admired a great deal and turned around, intending to leave. She needed some time alone. Had to contemplate the information given to her and find out how she was feeling about it. Maybe if Naruto knew as well, she could speak with him in private and work it out, but right now... .

"If we know anything definite, you'll be told, Sakura. Unfortunately, I can't make Sasuke stay here without a proper reason. He could be vital for the success of this mission. It's a risk I'll have to take... a risk 'you' will have to take." The older woman said in a somewhat sad tone of voice, not making eye contact with her student until she heard Sakura clear her throat.

"Alright. I'll go and prepare for that seminar then... ." Not really finishing her thought, Sakura lifted her hands into a familiar seal and vanished in a white cloud of smoke. She left behind the two people she trusted with her life, the shinobis, who had taught her the way of the ninja.

----------

Hot steam ascended from the cup standing on the small coffee table. A half eaten sandwich lay on a plate beside it, waiting for the person who had made it to decide whether to finish it or not.

But Sakura's thoughts were far away. She had almost forgotten that she had been hungry only minutes ago, having suppressed the grumbled protests of her empty stomach successfully. As her gaze shifted from the plain white wall she had been staring at for some time now to the window, she found the moon already high in the night sky.

She guessed that it was already close to one in the morning. The inner clock of a shinobi was almost as good as any radio alarm clock. She could be kept two days in absolute darkness and still know what time it was (not that she had ever tried that... locked in a room for almost a week, trying to learn one particular hard medical jutsu...).

"Where the hell is Ino?" Sakura mused out loud, gaining no response from the apartment though. Her best friend hadn't been around much lately and the pink haired medic guessed that she was probably somewhere near Chouji. Not that Ino would ever give Sakura the satisfaction of admitting her feelings in public, mind you!

Sitting up straight, she opened her hand to grab the handle of her mug, when she felt a jolt of pain exploding in the tips of her fingers and running up her arm into her shoulder. Sakura's hand started shaking and the feeling of pins and needles spread through her limb like a wildfire.

"Dammit." She hissed under her breath, cradling her hurting arm in her other hand.  
The kunoichi had been practicing the new jutsu Tsunade had given her for almost twelve hours straight and Kakashi hadn't been wrong when he had said that the way to seal the sharingan needed a great deal of chakra control in order to master it. So far, Sakura had cleared five of the seven steps. She had wanted to get the jutsu ready within two days,  
but by now she doubted she'd make it in that window of opportunity. Her chakra reserves had reached the minimum today and her hands had been burned badly.

She would have to go and see Shizune tomorrow. Sakura needed both hands to show her teammates the medical jutsus (as basic as they actually were), especially her favourite blond friend.

Her eyes drifted close and the pain in her hands were forgotten the moment her thoughts settled on Naruto. By now,  
Tsunade and Kakashi had surely told him as well about theit assumptions and she hoped he hadn't played berserk in respons. Sasuke and Naruto were like brothers, even if none of the two brick-heads would ever admit anything more like absolute rivalry and disgust for one another.

Her throat constricted painfully when she felt the sudden need to see Naruto and talk with him. About the accusations, the Akatsuki and the threat they posed, hell she would even talk about his plans of becoming Hokage for the umpteenth time (this week).

Sighing, she opened her eyes slowly and stared again out of the window... and nearly fell from the couch with a startled yelp.

"Naruto?!" She asked incredulously, watching as the worried expression on his face brightened up a bit at seeing her.  
He waved a hand 'Hi' and mentioned with his other for her to open the window to allow him in.

Shaking her head, Sakura did as she was asked, watching as he jumped down the window sill he had been crouching on and step into the room without a word. He headed straight to the couch Sakura had occupied some seconds ago and sat down heavily. Following him, Sakura couldn't prevent her eyes from rolling when she found him lunging hungrily for the half eaten sandwich and gulping it down with a swig of her warm tea.

"So?" She asked with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest and hugging herself as she waited for him to stop chewing.  
"Chakra burns?" Naruto asked without answering Sakura's question. At her bewildered frown, he mentioned with his chin to her hands.

"I trained a bit harder today..." She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence when Naruto pre-empted her with a knowing 'hn.  
"That funky sealing technique Tsunade gave ya?"

So he knew about Akatsuki and the possibility of meeting up with Itachi.  
Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, lowering her gaze as she waited for him to continue.

"I was called to Tsunade's office some hours ago... she told me some rather stupid things 'bout Mr. Almighty-albino-eyes. She kicked me out when I started... ." He trailed off, gesturing around with his hands to make it clear that he had caused a ruckus and had made friends with the Fifth's fist.

"I wanted to get off some anger and went to the training grounds and there... well, I ran into Sasuk there"  
Eyes wide, Sakura stared at her friend. He couldn't have done what she feared he had!

"Sakura... what did he do to raise such grave suspicions? I mean, look at him! He's far from acting normal even when he has a good day, dammit! He's the most antisocial man in this fucking country! That damn bastard has always had the idea of taking revenge on his brother, right? I know it, you know it. Hell, half of the world knows it!" By now, Naruto had gotten up from the couch and was walking around angrily in Sakura's room.

"For God's sake, Sakura!" He was breathing heavily when he continued, staring at his companion with somewhat tired eyes.  
"I wanted to ask him... but... I guess I couldn't just go and say 'Hey, bastard! How's your plan to kill Itachi going?'."

"Naruto..." Sakura began, stepping forward and grabbing his wrist loosely. She had grown into a strong shinobi. The last time she had cried had been the day she had been told Iruka had died on a mission. Sakura had matured far beyond her own expectations, but right now she felt like someone had taken away one of the pillars keeping her card house stabil.

There was this strange feeling again. Like that time two days ago, when Kakashi had been sitting beside her in the bar and had looked at her with his concerned eye. She felt like she was missing a valid thing, a essential part of a puzzle she had yet to uncover. And deep down in the pit of her stomach, Sakura feared, that Naruto wouldn't be there to guide her this time.

"Promise me not to leave me alone, ok?"

Frowning down at the woman he had loved for as long as he could remember, he forced his lips to form a small smile.  
"Of course, Sakura." He said, pulling her into a hug and not caring that under normal circumstances she would pummel him into a sorry heap. "Why would I ever leave you alone?"

The first instinct to push out of his embrace was forgotten the moment his words reached her ears. Exhaling slowly,  
Sakura encircled his torso with her own arms and pulled him closer to her chest, burying her face in the side of his neck and closing her eyes.

His ears were tinged in a lovely shade of red when Sakura pulled away slightly from where she had been resting and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips as she watched Naruto grin uneasily down at her.  
"You want something to eat? Ichiraku has already closed and I'm hungry now that my sandwich has vanished in thin air."

Laughing embarrassedly, Naruto nodded enthusiastically and followed Sakura into the kitchen. He leant casually against the counter and watched as Sakura busied herself with making his favourite meal: ramen a la Sakura. Naruto wasn't particularly talented in the field of cooking and left it rather to people who knew how to prevent water from getting no fire.

After some ten minutes of comfortable silence, Naruto scratched the back of his head deep in thought. "Sakura?" He suddenly asked, staring at the light bulb above the kitchen table. A grey moth was flying around the artificial light, like its life depended on reaching its source. In the end it would die without ever having been allowed to touch the sun.

"Hm?" She asked around a spoonful of ramen. She stared at him expectantly, cocking her head slightly to one side and looking like a parrot to Naruto.

The blond opened his mouth and Sakura waited for the words to leave his lips, but when she found his eyes averted, she realized that he couldn't. Whatever reason he had, she would have to be patient. When Naruto had problems saying what was on his mind that it had to be big.

"Nothing really... that ramen smells like its ready."

Blinking, Sakura turned towards the boiling noodle soup and decided that her friend's nose had indeed been right.  
"Don't stand around like you have nothing to do! Get the soup plates and sit down." She ordered, putting the pot down on the kitchen table.

Sakura decided to tell Naruto some things about the medic training for him and her friends she would lead in some days.  
Time to forget their doubts and fears.

At least for the next hour.

--------------------

FINIS?!

I'm currently writing on four different stories and the next part of this one is nearly finished. Sasuke is gonna be a real bad guy in this ficlet... that much I can give away.


End file.
